Knee control for accelerators



Nav. I2, 1940. E F. TAYLOR 2,221,274

KNEE CONTROL FOR AccELERAToRs Filed oct. 13, 1938 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 12, 1940 lTED STATES are orric 2 Claims.

My invention relates to automotive Vehicles and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved knee control for accelerators.

An object of my invention is to provide a knee control which may be operatively connected with the foot control of a conventional accelerator in which the knee control is so designed as to permit knee or foot actuation. The knee control is shiftable to inoperative positions in addition to embodying adjustment to satisfy the needs of a particular driver.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a sectional view of a portion of an automobile illustrating the manner in which my invention is operatively connected with the foot actuated part of the accelerator;

Figure 2 is a iront view taken from the position indicated by line 2-2 of Figure 1 with a portion of the instrument panel broken away for the sake of clearness;

Figure 3 is a view taken from the position indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the device;

Figure '7 is an elevational view of the knee pad arm;

Figure 8 is a sectional View along the line 8-8 of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a different form of connection between the knee actuated means and the foot pedal.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, the usual foot boardy is illustrated at l0. The accelerator pedal l2 is pivotally mounted at lli upon the foot board l0, and is connected with the accelerator rod IG in the usual manner. Rod I5 is operatively connected with the throttle valve of the engine in the usual manner. Such throttle valves and operating connections are old and well known in the art and need not be described in further detail. Fire wall I8 is provided with an opening 20 for slidably receiving a shaft 22, which may be provided with a collar 24 to prevent complete withdrawal of the rod 22 from the opening 20.

To the instrument panel 26 I connect a bearing block 28, which includes a bore 38 for slidably supporting the shaft 22. Panel 26 includes a right-'angular flange 32 positioned in the slot 34 in the bearing block 28. Block 28 is xedly related to the ange 32 by a set screw 36 threaded into the block. 'Io one end of the shaft 22 I connect a head, 38 provided with a slot 48 within which I mount one end of a knee bar 42. Head 38 includes a bore fili for receiving the shaft 22, and the two parts are fixedly related by means of a pin 58, The curved end 48 of the knee bar t2 is, pivotally connected with a shaft 58 carried by the head 38.

End 88 is provided with a series of notches 52 which may be brought into registration with a spring pressed latch ball 54- through rotation of the knee bar d2 about the axis of the shaft 50. Head 38 is bored for the reception of a compres- `lli sion spring 55 which urges the ball 51% into latching relation with the notches 52. Shaft 22 may be rotated by applying lateral pressure on the knee bar d2, while the latter may be latched in different positions to suit the needs of the driver by rotating the bar about the axis of the shaft 50.

On the shaft 22 I mount an armf58 having an opening 68 in one end for slidably receiving the shaft. The shaft is provided with a plurality of recesses 62 for receiving the inner end of a set screw Bil threaded into the army 58. Thus the arm 58 may be shifted longitudinally of the shaft 22 and iixedly related thereto through the medium of the set screw. The outer end of the arm 58 is bifurcated at 66 for accommodating a rod 68 having its lower end 'pivotally connected at lil with the accelerator pedal l2. I provide the rod 68 with a plurality of transverse openings 12 for the reception of a cotter pin ld passed through .-35 openings in the bifurcated end of the arm 58. Thus the rod 88 may be adjusted for operating length. To the knee side of the bar 42 I con-- nect a sponge rubberpad 1B, which pad is mounted on a plate 18 provided with pins 80 slidable in the slot 82 in the bar. A tension spring 84 has one end connected with one of the pins and its other end ancho-red to a screw 84 threaded into the bar 42. Spring 84 holds the pad 16 in the normal position of Figure 8, but the pad may be shifted downwardly of the bar l2 against the tension of the spring B4. Pad 'i6 provides a cushion for the knee of the operator, while the slidable mounting for the pad permits the same to shift downwardly of the bar 42 as the shaft 50 22 is rotated for imparting a thrust to the rod B8. In other words, the pad. 16 remains xedly related to the knee of the operator so as to eliminate rubbing thereon.

Shaft 22, while rotatably related to the block 55 28, is keyed against relative longitudinal movement. The shaft is provided With a plurality o-f circumferential grooves 88 for the selective reception of a key pin 90 having a right-angular end 92 arranged to rest on the top face of the block. Shaft 22 may be rotated freely, and the grooves 88 provide means for selective reception of the key pin 90 to the endl that the shaft may be adjusted longitudinally to suit the needs of the user. Block 28 is cut away at 93 to provide an abutment 94 arranged in the path of a stop pin 96 carried by the shaft 22. Stop pin 96 engages the abutment 94 when the accelerator pedal I2 is in its normal position of Figure 1 to prevent further rotation of the shaft. However, the abutment 94 is so related to the stop pin 96 as to permit sufficient rotation of the shaft 22 for acceleration purposes. I provide the shaft 22 with a plurality of bores 98 for the selective reception of the stop pin 96 so that the latter may be shifted for engagement with the abutment 94 when the shaft 22 is adjusted longitudinally. The bores 98 are located midway between the circumferential grooves 88 so that the stop pin 96 may be properly positioned when the shaft 22 is shifted and the key pin 90 is associated with a different groove.

The knee control is applicable to vehicles of conventional design, and the control is so related to the foot operated accelerator as to permit foot operation in the usual way. At the same time, the accelerator may be operated entirely through the medium of the knee control at the choice of the driver. Shaft 22 is adjustable longitudinally so as to accurately position the knee bar 42 at the most comfortable position for the driver. Similarly, the knee bar 42 may be pivotally adjusted about the axis of the shaft 50 so as to give the user further adjustment for comfortable operation.

In Figure 9, I illustrate a different form of connection between the shaft |00, which corresponds to the shaft 22, and the foot pedal |02. Foot board |04 is provided with the usual slot |06 for accommodating the accelerator rod |08. 'Ihe flexible casing I|0 of the flexible wire II2 extends through the slot |06 and is fixedly connected with a bracket I I4 which may be secured to the Wall ||6 by a screw II`8. One end of the flexible wire |I2 is fixedly connected at |20 with a bracket |24 secured to the foot pedal |02.

The opposite end of the flexible wire II2 extends through an opening in a projection |26 attached to an arm |28 corresponding to the arm 58. Projection |26 is provided with a set screw |30 arranged to have pressure relation with the wire |I2 for making the wire secure to the projection.

Arm 28 is secured to the shaft |00 through the medium of a set screw |32 having its inner end arranged to be selectively positioned in recesses |34 in the same manner as the set screw 64. According to Figure 9, the arm |28 is positioned on the opposite side of the wall I I6, which arrangement is permitted through the medium of the flexible Wire |I2 which may pass underneath the foot board |04 and up through the slot |06 for connection with the bracket |24.

Figure 1 illustrates the head 38 as being positioned adjacent the block 28. It will be noted that the pivotal axis for the knee bar 42 is located beneath the block 28 so that the knee bar may be swung upwardly underneath the instrument panel 26 so as to be hidden from view. Thus the operator may render the knee bar 42 inoperative and shifted to a position which gives the operator unobstructed knee room in the event that he should choose to employ the foot control only. The lower point of the block 28 is curved so that the knee bar 42 may be rotated relatively thereto without interference when shifted to an inoperative position.

I claim:

1. In a knee controlled accelerator of the type described, including a rotatable rod, a support, a body xed to said support and having a bore for slidably and rotatably supporting said rod, said rod being provided with a series of circumferential grooves, said body having a second bore, a pin slidable in said second bore and selectively receivable in said grooves for latching the rod against relative longitudinal movement in different positions thereof but permitting rotation of the rod, an abutment on said body, said rod being provided with a series of bores, and a stop pin selectively and frictionally receivable in the bores in said rod and arranged for engaging said abutment for limiting the relative movement of said rod, the bores in said rod being so spaced relatively to said grooves as to position the stop pin in the path of said abutment when the stop pin is positioned in a preselected bore and said first pin is inserted in a correspondingly preselected groove.

2. In a knee controlled accelerator device of the type described, a pivotal knee actuated member, a knee engaging pad, and means for slidably connecting the knee engaging pad with said knee actuated member, said knee engaging pad sliding relatively to said knee actuated member when the latter is pivoted but remaining in the same position with respect to knee engagement.

EMERSON F. TAYLOR. 

